Kent campaign group calls for reopening of Kent and Canterbury Hospital’s A&E
CHEK petition gains support amid concerns over “corridor care”
A healthcare campaign group in Kent is urging the government to prioritise reopening the Kent and Canterbury Hospital’s A&E department, twenty years after it was closed for housing.
CHEK (Concerns for Health in East Kent) has called on Health Secretary Wes Streeting to take action, launching a petition that already has over 1,000 signatures.
Their demands follow growing concerns about “corridor care” at other East Kent hospitals, including the Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother (QEQM) and William Harvey Hospital.
Ken Rogers, chair of CHEK, shared his personal experience of corridor care, recalling three days he spent in a hospital corridor two decades ago.
“It brought me to tears seeing people treated in corridors, washing or helping them in impossible conditions. Corridor care isn’t care—it’s a symptom of a system in crisis,” Mr Rogers said.
CHEK’s petition argues that reopening Kent and Canterbury’s A&E would alleviate pressure on QEQM and William Harvey Hospital, shorten ambulance journeys, and reduce delays in emergency patient care.
Mr Rogers emphasised the urgent need for investment in East Kent’s healthcare system, saying, “Patients deserve staff support, and East Kent deserves a safe, functional hospital system.”
The group CHEK has highlighted increasing concerns at regional hospitals, including reports of patients being treated in coffee lounges due to a lack of acute spaces.
Mr Rogers warned winter pressures, increased flu cases, and rising populations will only worsen the strain on East Kent’s already stretched resources.
“We need new hospitals, more beds, better acute spaces, and proper investment. Twenty years after losing Canterbury’s A&E, healthcare in East Kent has gone downhill,” Mr Rogers said.
In a letter to Wes Streeting, Mr Rogers stated, “The population is rising, and we’re adding thousands of new homes in places like Faversham. We need better infrastructure to match demand, and reopening Canterbury’s A&E would be a significant step forward.”
CHEK campaign
CHEK’s campaign includes plans to escalate its actions after Christmas if no progress is made.
Mr Rogers added, “If it means going to London and knocking on the door of the Department of Health, I’ll do it—and I won’t be alone.”
Acknowledging recent financial support of £39 million for improving A&E services at QEQM and William Harvey Hospital, Mr Rogers questioned the decision not to allocate the funds to reopening Kent and Canterbury’s A&E.
“Reopening Canterbury would relieve the existing pressure until new hospitals can be built. It’s a solution we urgently need.”
CHEK’s petition remains open, gathering widespread community support in its bid to improve healthcare infrastructure across East Kent.
For more information, visit CHEK’s petition online.